Oxbridge 2020 (thread number 9)

[DadDadDad]

What a year! Just as we've all become experts (at least in our own minds ) about how to write Personal Statements, Oxford admission tests and Cambridge STEP, the complicated dance of the interview process, and how to simultaneously boost our DSs' and DDs' confidence while preparing them for the possibility of disappointment, we have a new topic to learn: statistical modelling of expected grades.

Of course, like all those previous topics, we're not in control of teacher projection and OfQual rejection, but we have this thread to support each other through the coming months.

All welcome. For the record, I have a DS with an Oxford offer for a humanities subject.

I have mixed feelings about DD being active in an online subject group. As I think there's a good chance she won't make her offer. In which case she'll presumably be even more gutted than if she'd kept away from the group.

Well as the majority now have a state school background, it's their first chance to pretend tobe at Hogwarts. DD has been in touch with a group who all did UNIQ together for the last 12 months. Some received offers from Oxford, some from Cambridfe and others elsewhere. That helps in case she ends up in clearing. She has also been having Zoom sessions each week with those hoping to go to her College. There are around 50 in the WhatsApp group and around 20 of them Zoom. She doesn't do FB as that's what Mums do!

DS joined a Zoom group for offer holders (would love to see what 40 odd Mathmos talked about!). He is now 'officially ' on holiday as his last A level would have been today. He's delighted that the pub he works in is planning to open on Sat so he can earn a bit of money and have a social life again!

I agree with you stillraining - DDs college is definitely now sounding very much like they are already regarded as part of the college community, which is lovely but she still has no more than a 50:50 chance of making her offer. I'm encouraging her to get equally involved in offer holder stuff at her insurance place, but they aren't as active.

DD is showing no interest in her insurance choice. Though it's actually a really nice place and scores very high in the league tables for her subject. Oh well. If she goes there, I'm sure she'll enjoy it. There were no interviews there and she didn't go to the open day, so I suppose it's a bit difficult to feel as strongly about it as she does about Cambridge.

Oxford latest admissions report is out, just seen a bit in the Guardian
www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/admissions-statistics/undergraduate-students?wssl=1

Maybe they spend their group chats working out the probabilities of getting in HuaShan

Ds has surprised me by getting involved in some sm stuff for his college and subject. There is a maths one where they "do maths" on discord which he likes. He joined a zoom for his college and another for his subject but said they were both "awful" - the subject one slightly less awful, but "there was nothing good about it"! I've no idea what they talked about!

DD seems to be doing chats etc both subject and college. A few people on the subject one are apparently a bit intense but there seem to be enough not intense contributors to make it ok.

DD is involved in some college and subject related chats but shares the reluctance elsewhere to get too invested in case she doesnt get in. College seems particularly friendly. She is spooked to learn of some offer holders for her subject but not her college who havent only been given reading lists but have been asked about what papers they think they might take and what language option by their DoS.

hobbema in my DCs' experience the communications about course choices and pre reading vary wildly across colleges, so she mustn't be spooked by that.

Nice to hear corroboration of what I’ve been blithely reassurring her goodbye! From the general uni thread she’s another with carefully planned but sadly now no-Interrail this year. A reading list would be something she’s welcome even though she isnt short of material !

My understanding is that all the housekeeping info you are hoping for Coleoptera depends upon the college itself at both Oxford & Cambridge. Bed size varies even within college. Your DT1 would also be able to keep his camera switched off in any Zoom chat - he can always blame a slow Wifi connection.

Has he checked his College web site at Cambridge regularly for reading list info, as they seem to have been released in phases recently. I don't know of anyone else who has received anything like the amount of info that your DT2 has. Perhaps it's because he has an unconditional place.

I can give you some info on the Oxford-Cambridge route, albeit it's 30 years out of date (I grew up near Oxford and went to uni in Cambridge). All I remember is that it has a complete pain because there was no direct road and you had to negotiate an interminable number of roundabouts. Maybe things have changed since then...

I'll have the reverse problem as we live near Cambridge and DS (hopefully) will be heading to Oxford. In theory (and sometimes in practice), the quickest car route is the motorways: M40, M25 and A1(M)/A505 (or possibly M11). One alternative is via Milton Keynes which is where Snap's roundabout memories may be from.

To be honest, why not just follow Google Maps? I've found that it's pretty hard to beat an app which is capable of scanning for current road statuses etc.

Coleoptera - DD's possible college provides bed linen and room cleaning. Could be the same college of course. I don't really approve of the room cleaning.

DD has also been on some zoom chats but as yet hasn't received any reading lists or similar for MML. Of course I am now worried that she has fallen off the radar and been missed from an important spreadsheet somewhere....

Hi KaptainKaveman. My DC got an email from DoS that points them to the faculty website, where you can follow links to reading lists for your particular language. Also different for ab initio and post A level. I found it all a little confusing to find the tab with the books. See this link: www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/offer-holders and then oh Lordy let me get on the laptop and I can send you links.

KK, here is the best link to use:
www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/offer-holders
Do it on a laptop/desktop and the different languages are listed on the left. The first one (French) isn't offered as ab initio, but the others have instructions for post A level or new students. When you click on French literature course, you get this page: www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/fr1 which lists the books used in the course. And there's this link (for French) Summer preparation: www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/offer-holders/information-offer-holders/summer-preparation
which shows the reading list and resources.
But then I have tended to loose the deep pages and find it tricky to find my way back to them. So, basically, have a look through for your DD's two languages. A long list. Will you buy them now and hope for the best? I did and DH is questioning whether that was too bullish. We shall see.

lose, not loose

Thanks so much FingernailNibbler, massively helpful

Hi everyone...Ofqual have just announced that all exam boards will be required to deliver a full set of autumn exams for A level, AS and Gcse. Good news for Cambridge offer holders worried about results this summer. I wonder if Oxford will make a statement about whether or not they too will accept the autumn exams.

...also replacement certificates will be issued to candidates who do not wish to keep their summer 2020 results.

That's good to know Flyonawalk, thanks.